


it's the most wonderful time of the year

by wafflesofdoom



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Falling In Love, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-20 08:09:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13142544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wafflesofdoom/pseuds/wafflesofdoom
Summary: robert wants a boyfriend to bring home for christmas to piss off his family, and aaron wants his mum to stop trying to set him up with finn barton. faking dating to get through the holidays is obviously the logical thing to do. because faking a relationship has never gone wrong for everyone.written as part of the 2017 robron secret santa gift exchange on tumblr!





	it's the most wonderful time of the year

**Author's Note:**

> written for @hereformoira on tumblr as part of the 2017 robron secret santa.

This is insane,” Aaron looked at him, utterly gobsmacked, shock etched into every line of his face.

“Maybe,” Robert agreed, knowing it was a little over the top, even if it was his own plan. He’d never claimed to be the most logical person in the universe, he knows his own flaws. “But it fixes both of our problems, doesn’t it?”

Aaron still looked reluctant, but his shocked expression softened a little. “I don’t know, Robert,” he shook his head, twisting the cap of his beer bottle between his fingers. He always made fun of Robert for buying that weird craft beer (Aaron’s words, not his) but he always drank more than enough of it, already on his second bottle.

“I want to piss off my family, by bringing home a boyfriend,” Robert said, nudging closer to his friend. He’d known Aaron a long time now, only ever a few short years older than him (older and cooler, though Aaron always argued against that idea), and he was the only person he’d trust to actually pull this off.

“You’ve said.”

“I’m not done!” Robert rolled his eyes, kicking at Aaron’s ankle. “And you want your mum to stop trying to set you up.”

“She’s determined to prove that Finn and I are a good fit,” Aaron sighed, taking swig of his beer. “Do you know how awful it is to try and explain the concept of been there, done that to your mum? It’s fucking traumatising, Robert.”

Robert couldn’t hold back a snort. They’d been back in Emmerdale, for Andy and Katie’s wedding, and Aaron had gotten more than a little drunk, and fresh off the back of his breakup with Ed, he’d slept with none other than Finn Barton. Robert (who had blacked out at this point, curled up under a table, bringing shame to the Sugden name, as always) had laughed until he’d cried, the next morning as they’d nursed their hangovers over bacon butties in the cafe.

Finn had taken a while to get the message, and well - Chas was building his hopes up all over again, it probably wasn’t going to end spectacularly well.

“So we should fake a relationship!” Robert exclaimed. “Come on, it’ll just be for over Christmas, and we can tell everyone we broke up in the new year. We used to fight like cats and dogs, so no one will expect it to work out.”

Aaron sighed, draining the last of his beer. “This is insane,” he repeated, sounding resigned to the idea.

Robert grinned. “That’s a yes then?”

Aaron was quiet, for a second, before he finally replied. “Yeah, sure. You’re still insane, though.”

“Every genius was considered insane in their lifetime, Dingle,” Robert quipped, standing up. “Another beer? We’ve got a fake backstory to plan out.”

Aaron gave him a long-suffering look. “Make it a whiskey.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They’d decided to stick relatively close to the truth. It was easier, than being elaborate about it - their story was that they’d gotten drunk, and confessed their feelings. In reality, they’d gotten drunk and argued about who was theoretically better in bed (Robert, it was Robert), but it was close enough, really.

“I feel like my mum isn’t going to believe this,” Aaron commented, leaning his head against the window as he spoke. They were a couple of minutes from Emmerdale, and the famed Dingle and Sugden Christmas Eve party, a tradition Diane and Chas had stared together when they’d become co-owners, the whole village crammed into the pub, tinsel and party hats on, drinks flowing.

The perfect moment to announce their relationship, really. They’d asked Diane, and Chas, and Victoria and Andy to meet them for tea in the backroom beforehand, and Robert was positively gleeful at the prospect of Andy’s shocked face.

He’d never meant to come out to his family, really. Robert had taken a long time around to being bisexual, and even then, he’d never really decided if he wanted to tell his family, but Diane and Victoria had sort of accidentally taken that choice away from him.

He’d moved back up North, after he’d split with Chrissie, into a posh flat in Manchester, and he’d spent one of his first nights in the city on Canal Street, picking up an accountant called Chris, who really should have been an underwear model, if you asked Robert, taking him back to his posh new flat, and having the shag of his life.

8/10, he’d texted Aaron, Aaron responding with a simple “fuck you, i’m working at six am” which Robert had taken as an almost prideful response. Aaron hadn’t been hugely surprised, when Robert had come out to him, shrugging and muttering about that party they’d gone to in Hotten when they were teenagers, when he’d stumbled across Robert and Tom Harris in a bathroom (more of a 5/10, if Robert was being honest), but he’d been steadfast and supportive, in his usual Aaron way.

Anyway, Robert had been sitting at his kitchen island in his underwear, admiring Chris and his absolutely perfect arse as the other man made him pancakes, when Victoria had burst into his house, using the emergency spare key he’d given her in what was decidedly not an emergency, Diane by her side.

Robert couldn’t really explain away way he was ogling a half naked man in his own kitchen, not when there was a deep purple hickey blooming on his neck, so he’d ended up coming out to his step-mum and Victoria there and then.

Much to Victoria’s disappointment, and Andy’s glee (it’s just a phase, Diane, I don’t know why you’re indulging him, he wants the attention) Robert hadn’t had a steady boyfriend since, flitting from person to person (and back to Chris a few times, because God, that arse).

So he had a point to prove, to Andy, mostly, and his dead father second of all, Andy everything his father had been, right down to his stupid views of bisexuality.

“I think she’ll believe it,” Robert said, pulling into the carpark of the Woolpack, easing his car into park. “I’m a good actor, me.”

Aaron rolled his eyes. “Sure, you’re oscar winning,” he snarked, unbuckling his seatbelt. “You’re hardly my type, are you?”

“Neither was Finn,” Robert pointed out, switching off the ignition. “Anyway, I can be all sorts of rough and tumble, if you want me to be.”

Aaron rolled his eyes. “I hate you.”

“There’s a fine line between love and hate,” Robert quipped, stepping out of the car, into the crisp, cool, Emmerdale air. The village never did seem to change, the decorations strung up around the village the same ones he remembered seeing as a kid.

It was part of why he hated coming back to Emmerdale as much as he did. Robert had changed a lot, was barely recognisable, compared to the nineteen year old who’d left the village all those years ago, but everything about the place he’d grown up was the same, right down the people, the way it looked.

It was suffocating.

Aaron glared at him, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets, chin tucked into the zip. “Are we really doing this?” he asked, sounding a little unsure. He’d been the one to question how effective their scheme was really going to be, worried they’d be caught out, and it would be all the more embarrassing.

“It’s for twelve days, Aaron, give or take,” Robert said, slinging an arm around his friend’s shoulders, trying to reassure him. “I think we can play the part for that long. Then, Finn will get off your back, and I’ll have made Andy’s head explode, and everyone leaves happy.”

Aaron nodded, calm and quiet against Robert’s side for a second before he pulled away, rooting for his keys. “Let’s do it, then.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They’d barely made it through the door, when Chas was smothering Aaron in a hug, Robert standing awkwardly behind them until he could shuffle past, giving Diane and Victoria brief hugs, ignoring Katie and Andy entirely.

Robert was nothing if not consistent.

“The drive wasn’t too bad, I hope?” Diane asked, bustling around the kitchen, getting their tea ready.

“No, it was fine,” Robert said, shrugging off his jacket, holding out a hand for Aaron’s. The younger man gave him a strange look for a second, before he copped on to what Robert was doing, letting him take his jacket, and throw them both across the back of the couch.

“Traffic was alright,” Aaron hummed his agreement. “Smells good, Diane.”

“Thanks love, it’s nothing too exciting, what with all the food we’ll be having tomorrow,” Diane said, lifting a dish out of the oven. “I made your favourite Robert, shepherds pie.”

Robert gave one of his ‘light up a room’ grins, the kind of ones he used on clients, when he was determined to get a deal. “Sounds great, Diane,” he said, settling into a chair at the cramped dining room table.

“Not that we don’t love spending time with you two,” Victoria said, helping Diane dish out generous servings of shepherds pie, her hair bright blonde again, tucked behind her ears. She’d grown up so much, over the years, Vic, and it almost made Robert long for the years gone by when Victoria was small, and Christmas was still her most exciting time of year. “But why gather us all for tea?”

If his life was a movie, Robert decided, this would be the moment where they played some ‘dun dun dun’ music, Aaron’s nervousness practically palpable, hands clenched into fists.

“We’ve got some news for you,” Robert said, slinging an arm around the back of Aaron’s chair. “Aaron and I, we’re together.”

His grand announcement was met with blank glances from everyone seated at the table, Katie the first to speak. “Sorry, what?” she asked, a genuine look of confusion on her face.

“We’re together,” Aaron piped up, playing along now the initial announcement was out of the way, the tiny quirk to the corner of his mouth the only indication he was also relishing the opportunity to wind Katie up a bit. “Seeing each other, like.”

“Are you - are you  _sure_?” Chas raised an eyebrow, disbelief clear on her face. “I mean, no offence love, but Robert is hardly the most reliable person in the world.”

Aaron rolled his eyes in response, slumping back in his chair. “Mum, I’m twenty three,” he said. “I think I can decide who I want to be with. Anyway - you don’t know him like I do.”

Robert smiled in response, threading his fingers through the hair at the nape of Aaron’s neck. He’d been growing out his hair recently, much to Robert’s delight. He’d always hated the short on the sides, long on top look Aaron went for, especially when he shaved his hair right down to his head.

It always suited him better, longer.

“We’re really happy,” Robert chimed in, looking around the table. “And we’d like if you guys could be happy for us too, it would mean a lot.”

They deserved an Oscar for this, really.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Do you think they believe us?” Aaron asked, the two of them locked in the quiet of Aaron’s bedroom. Robert had offered to help him bring his bags up, after tea, Diane shooing them away from the washing up with a knowing glance, Chas taking over the bar.

“I think so,” Robert said, flopping down on Aaron’s bed. He had a lot of memories, in this room, all those evenings he and Aaron had gotten blackout drunk together and traded their secrets, Robert on the cusp of eighteen, Aaron sixteen and fully believing the world was against him.

They’d been an odd pair, really, but hey’d always managed to stay friends, even when Robert moved down to London, Aaron coming to visit now and then, Robert getting the Eurostar to Paris, no questions asked, the night Aaron ended things with Ed.

Only gays in the village, growing up, not that anyone had known, really, but it had bonded them all the same.

Aaron half heartedly shoved a few items of clothing into his drawers, sitting down next to Robert on the bed. “I hate Christmas."

“You don’t.”

“I do,” Aaron shook his head. “It’s just a reminder of the things you don’t have, innit?”

“Like what?” Robert asked, stretching languidly. He’d never had particularly strong feelings about Christmas, really. He’d loved it growing up, like any other kid, but the magic had faded the older he’d gotten, when he’d stopped believing in Santa, when his mum had died - that cold, horrible Christmas he’d spent alone in London, determined not to give Jack Sugden the satisfaction of him coming crawling back, desperate for a good feed and a warm house.

“An actual boyfriend,” Aaron admitted, chewing on the side of his mouth, a bad habit that drove Robert insane, especially when he did it for long enough to make his lip bleed, the skin torn and sore. “Been a long time, since Ed.”

“I told you to try grinder.”

“I told you I don’t want to get murdered,” Aaron countered, flopping down next to him. “Maybe I’ll just die alone.”

“Don’t we all,” Robert hummed, pausing as he heard approaching footsteps. “Do you fancy messing with your mum and Diane a bit?”

Aaron gave him a curious glance. “Depends.”

Robert grinned in response, undoing the top few buttons of his t-shirt, running his hands through his hair. It took Aaron a second to catch on, and the snorting noise he made was nothing short of spectacular.

“You really want Diane to think we snuck off to shag? She’s basically your mum, Robert!”

“Shame, is not something I experience,” Robert quipped. “Come on, it’ll be funny. I’ll even let you give me a hickey.”

“I’m not giving you a hickey,” Aaron said seriously, letting Robert mess up his hair, all the same, Robert nimbly undoing the buttons of the henley Aaron was wearing.

“Shame, I’d look good with a hickey,” Robert said, leaning back a little, exposing the pale skin of his neck. “Last chance.”

Aaron looked like he was genuinely mulling it over, when there was a knock at his bedroom door. Aaron sprung into action, looking altogether ruffled and messed up as he opened the door just a crack, giving whoever it was a glimpse of Robert lying prone on his bed, looking altogether very satisfied with himself.

(Robert had been on a lads holiday with Aaron, okay, and he’d heard his friend at it in the room next door with some gorgeous Spanish lad. By the sounds of it, he’d been feeling entirely self satisfied if Aaron Dingle was halfway to getting in his pants.)

“Hiya, Diane,” Aaron managed to choke out. “You alright?”

“Your mum sent me looking for you two,” Diane said. “I told her, I said Chas, they’re two young lads in love, let them be, but your family is downstairs, and she wasn’t taking no for an answer.”

Robert tried his best to hold in laughter. He often wondered how his dad and Diane and ended up together, but moments like this, where she was at her usual, Diane Sugden best, he thought he could see what his dad would have seen in her.

“We’ll be down in a second,” Aaron reassured, closing the door quickly, barely holding in his own laughter. “Well, even my mum thinks we’re shagging now, so you know it’s going to be around the village in about five minutes.”

“Just enough time for us to make our grand entrance,” Robert grinned, standing up off Aaron’s bed, straightening out his shirt. He didn’t bother to do it the whole way back up, rather liking the appreciative glance Aaron was giving he exposed skin of his neck.

He’d be able to convince Aaron to give him that hickey before the Christmas holidays were out.

“You’re enjoying this too much,” Aaron commented, half heartedly flattening his hair into place. It was unruly, when the masses of gel he used had lost their stick, and there was nothing much he could do, really.

“Maybe I am,” Robert said, slinging an arm around Aaron’s shoulders, guiding him out of the room. “But you’ve got to get your kicks somehow, eh?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert was fairly drunk, he decided. He’d lost track of how much he’d actually had, but between him and Aaron buying rounds, and him and Andy buying rounds, at Victoria’s desperate request for them to actually get on, just for Christmas, but the pint in his hand was definitely his ninth.

Or tenth, maybe,

“So you and Aaron, then?” Andy asked, the two of them leaning against the bar, watching the chaos of the Christmas Eve party unfold around them.

“You got a problem with it?” Robert replied, immediately defensive. He couldn’t help himself, really, not when it came to Andy - he was always looking for a fight, it’s how it had always been.

Andy rolled his eyes. “Tryin’ to make conversation,” he said. “If I had a problem with you being into lads, wouldn’t I have said it by now?”

“Dunno, put you down as a bit of a secret homophobe,” Robert shrugged, gulping down his pint. He’d rolled the sleeves of his shirt to his elbows, the warmth of the pub getting to him.

“You’re such a twat, Robert,” Andy sighed, sounding as long-suffering as everyone else in his family. Robert had a brand, he mused, and he’d always stuck to it. Robert Sugden, the eternal annoyance.

“I’ll cheers to that,” Robert said, knocking his glass against Andy’s, grinning as he caused the other mans pints to spill all over his hand. Rather than wait for a reaction, Robert stalked off, spotting Aaron sitting in one of the corner booths.

He had that glassy look on his face Aaron always got when he was drunk, cheeks flushed pink and his gaze unfocused, sleeves tugged down over his hands as he concentrated on finishing his pint.

“Hiya,” Robert greeted, sliding into the booth next to him, putting a hand on Aaron’s knee.

“You done winding up Andy?”

“For tonight, anyway,” Robert hummed, the warm press of Aaron’s body against his own comforting, despite the overwhelming heat of the pub. “You okay?”

Aaron nodded. “Drunk.”

“Best way to be, I think,” Robert said, taking another swig of his pint. “Everyone believes it, you know.”

“Mm.”

“You’ve broken Finn Barton’s little heart, Mr Dingle,” Robert grinned. “How does it feel to be the heartthrob of Emmerdale?” he asked, enjoying how Aaron’s faced scrunched up at his teasing, as though he was embarrassed by it.

“Give over,” Aaron rolled his eyes, draining the last of his pint. “Thanks, though. I wouldn’t have been able to deal with him trailing around after me like some kind of lost puppy again.”

“He’s just been sucked in by your charms,” Robert teased, glancing up as he heard Victoria call his name. “Yeah?”

“We’re heading home, come on! We’ve got to be up early for - hic - church, and presents, an’ food,” Victoria was hanging off Andy, drunk as anything. A part of Robert didn’t like the idea of his little sister being drunk, regardless of how old she got, but another part of him was enjoying her being absolutely ridiculous.

“Two seconds, Vic!”

“Robert, now!” Victoria practically pouted. “Kiss your boyfriend goodbye so we can go.”

Robert turned to Aaron, a wicked grin on his face. “What do you say we give them a show?” he inquired, eyes darting toward Aaron’s lips, pink, and wet from all the alcohol he’d been drinking.

“You want us to kiss?”

“It’d be more believable, if we did,” Robert said, shifting a little closer to Aaron, close enough that he could feel Aaron’s raggedy breath against his cheek. “They’re all watching, you know.”

Aaron returned the smile. “We’d best give them a show, then,” he echoed Robert’s earlier words, tongue darting out to wet his lips, walls down, thanks to all the pints, and shots they’d downed since they joined the party, Charity teasing the hell out of them for being late, and turning up as bedraggled as they had.

Robert leaned in, pressing his lips to Aaron’s carefully, slowly, not trusting his drunk self to go for it completely. He’d kissed Aaron once before, he thinks, when they were drunk and on a night out on Canal Street, planting a tequila flavoured kiss to his friend’s lips as they queued for chips.

It hadn’t meant anything then, and it didn’t mean anything now, but at least it was a proper kiss, their mouths moving against each other in a way that was sending tingles down Robert’s spine, one of Aaron’s hands fisted in his shirt.

“Merry Christmas, boyfriend,” Robert smirked, pressing another soft, chaste kiss to the corner of Aaron’s mouth, all too aware the eyes of the villagers left standing at the alcohol soaked party were on them.

Aaron returned the grin. “Merry Christmas,  _boyfriend_.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“You and Aaron are happy, huh?” Victoria asked, shifting a little closer to Robert on the couch. They’d done the presents, the floor of the farmhouse covered in scraps of wrapping paper, no one much inclined to clean it up - Robert had been told to, Diane and Doug in the kitchen, getting Christmas lunch ready, but he didn’t really want to.

He’d do it later. Robert figured he had at least an hours worth of leeway when it came to the mess, after the extravagant gift’s he’d doled out to the Sugden family, Diane still cooing over the perfume he’d gotten her, Bernice wearing the designer scarf he’d picked out for her over her Christmas jumper.

Katie had muttered something about not being impressed, but she’d tucked the Jo Malone box with her name on it under her arm all the same.

Sipping at his now lukewarm tea, Robert nodded. “Yeah, we are,” he confirmed, figuring the little show he and Aaron had put on last night had it’s desired effect, convincing their families he and Aaron were the real deal.

“I’m glad, you know,” Victoria said, sincere as always. “It mustn’t have been easy, coming to terms with being bisexual. I’m really proud of you for finding someone who makes you happy.”

Easy.

Robert’s not sure he’d ever known anyone who found coming out easy, everyone he’d ever met with a story of their own to tell, but his own was the one he knew best. A dad who’d never deemed him good enough, and even less so when he’d caught Robert with his tongue down another boys throat.

He’d close to compartmentalised it, by now. Jack Sugden, and all he’d done, was wrapped up in a neat little box, and pushed to the darkest, dustiest corner of his mind. Perhaps it wasn’t the healthiest way of coping with it, of dealing with the time his own dad had leathered him for daring to show the slightest signs of being gay, but it’s how he’d dealt with it so far.

“Robert?”

Realising he’d spaced out entirely, he forced a wide smile, looking at Victoria. “It wasn’t easy,” he confirmed simply, having decided a long time ago that he couldn’t bear to tarnish his baby sister’s memory of their dead father. “But I got there, didn’t I?”

“You’ve got good taste, you know,” Victoria grinned, hair done up in intricate braids, ones she’d mimicked in Sarah’s hair when she’d been over earlier in the morning, her, Jack and Debbie already gone and up at Wishing Well, the Dingle family Christmas in full swing, no doubt.

“Do I?” Robert grinned. It was nice, really, to get to talk to his sister like this, be open and honest in a way he hadn’t had before, always worried he’d let something slip.

“Yes!” Victoria declared, laughing as she hugged her tea to her chest. “Chrissie was beautiful, and the guy in your apartment, he was  _beautiful_.”

Chris and his magical arse, Robert hummed to himself. “And Aaron?”

“He’s different to anyone you’ve ever dated before,” Victoria said, taking a sip of her drink, looking thoughtful.

“Is that a good or a bad thing?” Robert asked, curious now. He knew Aaron and Victoria had dated, when they were teenagers, and he always knew how little it mattered to both of them now - they were entirely different people, both of them, these days, and so it didn’t feel like a weird conversation to be having with Vic.

“I think it could be a very good thing for you,” Victoria beamed. “He’s the yin to your yang!” she exclaimed, looking delighted at her own analogy.

Robert rolled his eyes. “Yeah, sure.”

“I’m not joking!” Victoria shoved at him. “He’s so different to you, I think you need that. You and Chrissie were too alike, you know, but Aaron - he’s different, I think he balances you out. You guys fit together, I can’t believe I didn’t realise it sooner.”

“Are we done analysing my relationship now? Are you going to tell me about you dating Adam Barton, or am I going to be waiting until next Christmas for you to tell me anything about it?” Robert said, playing his trump card with a smirk. “I had to find out from Andy, you know!”

Victoria at least, did look slightly embarrassed. “It’s a new thing,” she said, a telltale blush rising in her cheeks. “Don’t you start on the scary big brother routine, because Andy has already done it, I don’t need you to make it worse.”

“Is he good to you?” Robert asked. He’d be nice, and easy off, seeing as it was the Christmas holidays. He’d probably change his mind when he actually came face to face with Adam, not trusting Aaron’s best friend as far as he could throw him, not after all the stories he’d heard from Aaron himself.

“Is Aaron good to you?” Victoria countered cheekily, giving Robert an expectant look.

“Yeah,” Robert said, before he could really think too much about it, memories of all the nights out Aaron had brought him home after, the mid-afternoon coffees he’d had with Robert when his newest relationship went to shit, supporting him even when Robert claimed he was totally fine and not invested anyway. Aaron had always been good to him. “Yeah, he is.”

Victoria’s smile was soft, and knowing. “You get the same look on your face I do when I talk about Adam,” she said, reaching out to give Robert’s hand a squeeze. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so in love.”

Before Robert could reply, Diane called for Victoria, needing her help in the kitchen, leaving Robert to his own devices.

Love.

Robert had been in love before, plenty of times, actually, and he definitely wasn’t in love with Aaron. He loved him, sure, like anyone else in the world loved their best friend, but that was it.

That’s all.

Reaching for his phone, Robert couldn’t help but grin as he noticed a text from Aaron.

 

 

 

 **from aaron:**   _save me. my family are mental._

 **to aaron:**  don’t worry, you’re seeing me in a few hours, and i’ll save you then, love of my life xoxo

 **from aaron:**  prick. enjoy your dinner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas in the pub was Robert’s favourite Emmerdale tradition, he decided. Chas and Diane had done it for years, opening the pub in the evening time for the villagers. It ended up mostly being Dingles and Sugdens, but it was always fun, rounding off a day of overeating with plenty of alcohol.

Robert had eaten enough of Diane’s famous stuffing to not feel the slightest bit drunk, despite the rounds of shots he’d been doing with Aaron, Victoria and Andy, Aaron sitting, leg pressed to his.

Or he didn’t feel drunk until he’d stood up, wobbly on his feet.

“Oops, sorry,” Robert snorted, giving Andy a half-hearted, apologetic look as he whacked into him, Aaron putting a steadying hand on his waist, a move more natural than Robert had expected.

“You’re in no state to walk home,” Victoria laughed, looking about as steady on her feet as he was, her hair coming undone from the braids they’d been twisted up in all day, her ridiculous reindeer antlers childlike.

“Why don’t you stay here tonight?” Chas said, a wicked glint in her eye. “I’m sure you and Aaron want to spend some time together.”

“ _Mum_.”

“You’re adults, love, it’s no skin off my nose,” Chas said, pinching Aaron’s cheek, making him squirm. “I’m just happy to see you happy - even if it’s with Robert Sugden, eh?”

Aaron gave a sigh that made it feel like it wasn’t the first time they’d had this exact argument in the past twenty four hours. “Mum, come on,” he said, pleading. “Don’t start.”

“I’m not!” Chas said, swiping Aaron’s half drunk pint. “The offer still stands, Robert.”

“Thanks, Chas,” Robert said, hoping he sounded as grateful as he’d intended to sound, Aaron’s hand still on his waist. “I’d love to.”

“Right then, we don’t have to wait for you!” Victoria declared, slinging an arm around Andy’s shoulders. “Christmas, and he’s fobbing us off to spend the night with his boyfriend. What a - hic - dick!”

Andy rolled his eyes at their drunken sister. “I best get her home,” he said, hoisting Victoria out of her seat. “Don’t forget about tomorrow.”

Robert felt instantly sober at Andy’s words. “I won’t,” he replied, not caring how harsh he might sound to anyone listening.

“Whats tomorrow?” Aaron asked quietly, when Andy and Victoria were out of earshot. Sometimes, Robert hated how perceptive Aaron was, how easily he could pick up on something being wrong.

“Going to the graveyard,” Robert said simply. “Bed, then?”

Aaron looked around the pub, the dwindling crowd, Cain and Zak propping up the bar, Paddy slumped in a corner. The night was well and truly over, and he seemed to acknowledge that, untangling himself from Robert’s waist, leading him around the back of the bar.

“Goodnight my love,” Chas said, words slightly slurred as she pressed a messy kiss to Aaron’s cheek, hugging him tightly.

Robert hated the twinge of jealousy he felt as he watched them embrace. He should be glad, Aaron had such a good relationship with his mum these days, but sometimes (just sometimes) it made him ache for everything he didn’t have.

Diane was great, she was, but she wasn’t his mum.

“Mind my baby!” Chas directed at Robert, snapping him out of his reverie, a warning look on her face. If she wasn’t as drunk as she was, Robert might have taken her warning more seriously, but she was so unsteady on her heels, it was all he could do not to laugh.

“Don’t go breaking any beds!” Charity, cackling delightedly to self at her own joke, necking back the last of her wine.

Before Robert could snark back, Aaron shoved him through the doorway, guiding him into the backroom.

“I can’t believe she just said that,” Aaron said, embarrassment written all over his face. “In front of my mum n’all! Why did you have to agree to stay?”

“Because it would have been a bit suspicious if I hadn’t jumped at the chance to spend some one on one time with my boyfriend now, wouldn’t it?” Robert rolled his eyes. “In case you’d forgotten, love.”

“I hadn’t forgotten,” Aaron replied, filling a pint glass with water, gulping about half of it down in one go before he spoke again. “I just don’t really want my mum and half my family thinking I’m off upstairs to get shagged.”

Robert snorted, swiping the glass from his hand. “Maybe I’d be the one getting shagged,” he replied, the water exactly what he needed after a day of complete over indulgence.

Aaron raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, because a conversation about your preferences in bed is exactly the point of this.”

“I don’t have a preference,” Robert said cheekily, passing the glass back to Aaron so he could refill it. “Come on, we knew we’d have to commit to faking it - your mum just gave us the perfect opportunity to do it.”

Aaron looked as though he was relenting a bit. “I still don’t want Charity shouting her mouth off about it,” he grumbled, sipping at the water again before he passed it to Robert. “None of her business, even if it were true.”

“I’d make sure she knew, if it was true,” Robert said, grinning wickedly as he downed the last of the water. “I’d rock your world, mate.”

“More like I’d be the one rocking your world,  _mate_ ,” Aaron rolled his eyes, shoving Robert toward the stairs. “Come on, I’m knackered, I want to sleep.”

“Can we cuddle and trade all our deepest secrets?” Robert joked, lowering his voice slightly as they ascended the stairs, conscious that Noah was already in bed, having been sent up hours ago by Charity.

He’d always forgotten just how many memories were contained in the walls of the pub. Robert had stayed there for a while, with Diane, a few months after Jack had died. Robert hadn’t managed to force himself to go to the funeral, but he’d gone and gotten so blackout drunk on a work trip in Manchester months later, the hospital had called Diane to come and get him, his step-mother still his next of kin - still was, now. He’d spent a week, holed up in a spare room in the pub, feeling immensely sorry for himself, Diane poking, prodding and trying to get him to talk.

He’d probably have talked to Aaron, if Aaron hadn’t been in France, by then.

Robert could talk to Aaron now, though, would tell the younger man his every thought and secret if he just asked.

Aaron snorted at his words, gesturing for Robert to follow him into his old teenage bedroom, tatty posters of cars and footballers ripped from magazines still covering the walls, as if Chas was reluctant to let go of the child Aaron had once been.

“You want something to sleep in?” Aaron asked, rooting in his drawers.

Robert nodded, sitting down on the edge of Aaron’s small double to untie his shoes, tossing them into a corner, out of the way. It was going to be a tight squeeze, to sleep comfortably with two of them in that bed. “Yeah, ta.”

Aaron tossed him a t-shirt and a pair of checkered pyjama bottoms, ones Robert was sure Victoria had bought his friend for his birthday. “You have a good Christmas?” he asked, focusing on undoing his own belt, listening to the rustling noises of Aaron getting undressed on the other side of the room.

“I did,” Aaron confirmed. “Thanks, by the way, for the present. You didn’t need to be so extravagant.”

“I know, but I wanted to,” Robert said, snapping the elastic of the pyjama bottoms against his hips, standing up. “I can’t have anyone thinking Robert Sugden doesn’t treat his boyfriend right, can I?”

Aaron paused, still completely dressed in his jumper and jeans. “We’re not going to fake date forever, Robert,” he said, voice quiet. “You’ve got nothing to prove, really.”

“Which is why I bought you that watch because you’re my best friend,” Robert said, neatly folding his shirt and trousers. “It suits you.”

“You noticed?” Aaron sounded surprised, looking at the faint glimpse of a leather watch strap you could see under his stretched out sleeves, the dark navy material having long since lost its shape because of Aaron’s nervous habit of pulling at his own sleeves.

Robert gave him a sincere look. “Of course I noticed,” he said, his words sounding far more serious than he’d intended them to as they left his mouth. “Can I borrow some mouthwash, or summat?” he asked, trying to distract from the strangely heavy silence that had fallen between them.

Aaron nodded. “There’s some in the bathroom.”

Heading out into the dark hallway, Robert padded a familiar path to the Woolpack bathroom, turning the light on, watching as it flickered slightly before it settled, the light overly harsh and bright.

“Get it together Sugden,” Robert muttered to himself, splashing some ice-cold water on his face, hoping it would wake up the part of his brain that had apparently decided this evening was going to be a piss-poor Hallmark movie remake.

_Of course I noticed._

Because that wasn’t a weird thing to say at all, was it?

Swirling some of the mouthwash standing on the side of the sink around his mouth, Robert quickly spit it out and patted his face dry, taking a few steadying breaths before he returned to Aaron’s room.

He was in bed, by time Robert got back, gently closing the door behind him, the room only illuminated by Aaron’s bedside lamp, the lighting soft, and yellow.

“You okay on the right side?” Aaron asked, sounding uncertain all of a sudden, the duvet bunched under his chest.

Robert nodded, giving Aaron an easy smile. “Sounds good,” he confirmed, pausing for a second before he got into bed beside Aaron, arms stiff by his side. It was definitely a tight squeeze, two fully grown men in a bed probably not intended for any more than two people to sleep in, and certainly not if they weren’t willing to cuddle up close.

Robert definitely wasn’t going to suggest they have a cuddle, he said, quickly shutting down the part of his brain that was craving the contact.

He’d been single for too long, clearly.

“Night, Robert,” Aaron said quietly, switching off the bedside lamp, plunging the room into complete darkness.

Robert turned on his side, closing his eyes tightly. “Night, Aaron.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert never usually minded waking up with a hard-on. Honestly, it was usually a nice start to his morning - he was partial to starting his day off with a good wank, it got him nice and relaxed before he had to face the day.

Waking up with a hard-on, when he was sharing a bed with Aaron, his fake boyfriend who he definitely couldn’t shag, or wank in front of? That was less than ideal.

Especially when you considered they’d somehow ended up spooning, during the night, Robert pressed flushed to Aaron’s back, his very obvious erection shoved right into Aaron’s arse.

Dying, Robert decided, would be a more fun alternative to waking up and having an awkward conversation with Aaron about his accidental boner, trying to explain why his treacherous body decided waking up with a raging erection on Boxing Day, in Aaron Dingle’s bed, was the way to go.

 _Accidental boner._  Like he was fifteen years old and getting hard in P.E because Jennifer Harris had to wear shorts from the lost and found bin that were a size too small for her.

Robert felt Aaron stir, and he squeezed his eyes shut, hoping if he pretended to be asleep, Aaron would get up first, and he could will his hard-on away, pretend like it had never happened.

“Mornin’,” Aaron mumbled, voice gravelly and thick with sleep. “You going to let go of me any time soon?”

“Hm?” Robert decided to feign sleepy ignorance.

“You held on tighter when you woke up, weirdo,” Aaron elbowed him, his voice teasing. “Come on, I want to have a shower, I feel rank.”

“You smell rank, too,” Robert mumbled, knowing it would earn him another elbow in the stomach from Aaron. They’d always been the type of friends who ripped the absolute piss out of each other, and he wasn’t going to let his accidental boner ruin the fun.

“Yeah, fuck you too,” Aaron replied, his voice still deliciously hoarse, and thick with sleep. “Go on, you can have a wank when I’m in the shower.”

“Oh, fuck you,” Robert shuffled away from Aaron, giving the other man a grumpy look as he eased himself out from under the covers, his dark hair sticking up at all sorts of odd angles.

Aaron grinned, looking entirely too satisfied with himself. “I know I’m attractive, Robert, it’s very flattering.”

Robert simply glared at him in response.

“I’m messing with ya,” Aaron snorted. “You want a shower first?”

Robert shook his head. “Nah, you go first,” he said, reaching for his phone, checking if anyone had texted him. Aside from a highly inappropriate ‘enjoy yourself’ text from Victoria, which they were definitely going to talk about later, because there was a line, when you were brother and sister, and Victoria for sure just crossed it with that one, there was nothing.

Looking up from his phone, Robert couldn’t help but smirk as he noticed the bulge in the front of Aaron’s trousers. “Looks like you need that wank more than I do,” he teased, eyes flickering to Aaron’s crotch in response to the other mans confusion.

Robert probably deserved the towel to the face he got, but it was worth it for the violent shade of pink Aaron’s face turned as he realised he’d been caught out.

Check, mate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Do you want me to come with you today?” Aaron asked, the two of them huddled over a stack of bacon butties, drinking coffee as though their lives depended on it. They probably did, to be fair, considering the amount of alcohol they’d drank in the past few days.

Robert looked up from the greasy mess he was savaging, giving Aaron a confused look. “What?”

Aaron looked suddenly unsure of himself. “The - the graveyard,” he said. “You said last night you were going today with Andy, and Vic and everyone. Do you want me to come with you?”

Robert’s heart felt like it was about to explode, at Aaron’s words. He knew how Aaron felt about the graveyard, knew how he’d avoided it as much as he could since Jackson, and yet here he was, offering to come with him. “You’d do that for me?” he asked, voice small.

Aaron looked at him as if the answer was obvious. “Of course I would.”

Robert paused, taking a steadying breath as he looked down at his half-eaten sandwich, grease shining on his fingers. “I’d like that,” he admitted, not quite looking at Aaron.

He wasn’t used to this, wasn’t used to wanting someone with him, when it came to things like this, his dad - his  _mum_. Robert had always done these things on his own, muddled through alone.

And here was Aaron, being a mate, offering to come with him.

More often than not, Robert had ended up skipping the annual Christmas visit to the graveyard, much to Victoria’s upset, but here he was this year, walking down the main street of the village, Aaron by his side.

It was cold. Not cold enough for snow, Robert didn’t think, though he wouldn’t have been opposed to a white Christmas, but cold enough that he was tucking his chin into the woollen scarf he had wrapped around his neck.

“Do you miss her?” Aaron asked, his voice quiet, even quiet in the eerie silence of the village, most of Emmerdale’s residents still at home, sleeping off their Christmas hangovers.

Robert nodded. “Everyday,” he admitted. “I always think about how she’d feel, about me being bisexual.”

“I bet she’d be proud,” Aaron said, decisive.

“You think?”

Aaron nodded. “She’s your mum,” he said, as though it were entirely obvious. “I bet she’d be so proud, you were finally being true to yourself.”

“Weird phrase that, innit?” Robert said as they stepped into the graveyard. “True to yourself.”

“True, though.” Aaron shrugged. “Don’t you feel like a better version of you, now?”

He and Aaron had talked a lot, about being out, being  _proud_. They’d talked from the first moment Robert had come out to him, nearly two years ago now, long before he’d had the confidence to embrace it fully, talked a lot since then.

“Yeah,” Robert confirmed, stomach twisting as he saw Victoria, Andy, Katie and Diane standing by their parents graves, talking quietly. “I do, actually.”

Aaron gave him a soft, secretive smile, nudging Robert’s hand with his own, intertwining their fingers tightly. “Got to play the supportive boyfriend, haven’t I?” he said by way of explanation.

Robert gave him a grateful smile, squeezing his hand in response. “Morning,” he greeted his family. “Flowers are beautiful, Vic,” he said, gesturing at the red roses she had in her hand.

It was always red roses, for their parents. Jack wouldn’t have cared, but Sarah loved red roses - growing up, there had always been a bunch on their kitchen table, the bigger the bouquet, the more their father had been apologising for.

“Merry Christmas mum, dad,” Victoria said, her age suddenly striking Robert. She was barely in her twenties, his sister, and she was an orphan - had been an orphan since she was a teenager.

How was that fair, really?

“It’s so good, to see you all here,” Diane said, an arm linked in Victoria’s. “Your mum and dad would be so proud of you.”

Robert fought, to keep his harsh words back, to swallow his anger. He’d always swallowed his anger, when it came to his father, had always kept it to himself, held it back.

He wouldn’t have been proud.

Shaking his head, Robert tugged on Aaron’s hand sharply, ignoring his families concerned looks as he stalked away from the graves, hating the panic that was rising in his chest.

“Robert!” Aaron called after him, Robert refusing to slow down, despite the clear concern in his friend’s face. “Robert, wait up, will ya?”

Robert wouldn’t have stopped, unless Aaron had grabbed onto his wrist, forcing him to come to a standstill. “I can’t,” he managed to choke out, hating the way his eyes filled with tears.

“You have to tell them, about what he did, Robert.”

Jack. Of course.

He’d told Aaron, one night, the two of them drunk at four am, Robert only recently coming to terms with being bisexual. He’d never been able to not tell Aaron things, never been able to hold anything back.

Robert shook his head. “I  _can’t_ ,” he repeated, his voice breaking mid-sentence. “I can’t ruin their memory of him.”

“Even if you have to go through this every single time Christmas, or an anniversary rolls around?” Aaron countered, concern written all over his face. Honesty was the cornerstone of who Aaron was, and oftentimes, Robert wished he was more like him, but he wasn’t.

He wasn’t, and he never would be.

“Yes,” Robert nodded furiously. “Yes, Aaron, okay? I can’t - I can’t do it.”

Aaron nodded, quiet as he guided Robert to a nearby bench, sitting him down. “Then you talk to me,” he said, determined. “Talk to me about it.”

Robert didn’t really know where to start. They’d done the emotional conversation about what had happened, about what Jack had done, they’d done the tears, all of that.

What was left to say?

“I hate him,” Robert said. “I hate him for what he did, but I hate that I don’t hate him more. He - he’s still my dad, and I still care what he thinks, even now. I - I can’t stop thinking about how disappointed he’d be, if he saw me now.”

Aaron shook his head. “If he was alive today, and he was disappointed, it only proves he never deserved ya as a son,” he said, taking Robert’s hands in his own. “You’re a bit mad, but you’re still amazing, Robert.”

“A bit mad?” Robert snorted, loving how Aaron could make him laugh, even when it fell like his heart was shattering in his chest.

“It was your idea to scam our families into thinking we’re dating,” Aaron said in a stage whisper, grinning. “I mean it, though, you’re amazing. I don’t know what I’d do without you, sometimes.”

“Me too,” Robert echoed, shifting a little closer to Aaron. “Do you think we can get out of here before they come over?” he asked, glancing back to where his concerned family were standing, as though they were hesitant to come over.

“Probably, why?”

Robert smiled, his tears finally dissuading. “Let’s get out of the village for the day,” he said, standing up, tugging Aaron along with him. “I need to get out of here for a few hours. What do you say?”

Aaron returned the smile. “Lead the way, boyfriend.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There wasn’t many places to go, on Boxing Day, all things considered. The only thing open in Hotten had been McDonalds, so they’d ended up getting milkshakes and going to the park, sitting on the swings, like they were five, or something.

“Do you ever think about having kids?” Aaron asked, the question out of the blue, all things considered.

“Sometimes,” Robert said. “I worry, though.”

“Why?”

“I’m my fathers son,” Robert quipped. “Why would I want to put a kid through that?”

Aaron shook his head. “You’re not like Jack.”

“You didn’t know him.”

“I know you, though,” Aaron said, kicking at the dirty gravel underneath his feet. “And I know how much you care, even if you don’t want to let on you do. I know you love Vic, and Bernice - and Andy, even if you pretend you don’t. I know - I know you’re a good person, Robert.”

“Why are you being so nice to me?” Robert blurted, wide-eyed at Aaron’s kind words.

“Am I usually not?” Aaron laughed, blue eyes bright as he grinned, sipping at his drink. He looked good, Robert decided, wearing a jumper Chas had bought him for Christmas, his ridiculous black puffer coat chucked on over it, hair half-arsed, making him look younger than he actually was.

“No, I -“ Robert cut himself off, laughing. “I don’t know what I meant.”

“I’m just being a good boyfriend,” Aaron grinned. “Did I tell you Finn tried to come onto me last night, by the way?”

Robert raised an eyebrow. “He what?”

“I was getting us new pints, and he came up to, saying all sorts about how I deserved better, deserved someone who was really going to love me,” Aaron said, scuffing at the toes of his shoes again. “Told him you were great at shagging my brains out, so I was alright, ta.”

Robert snorted. “I can’t imagine Finn Barton shagging anyones brains out.”

“He’s alright in bed, you know,” Aaron admitted. “I enjoyed myself. I just - he’s not the kind of person I want to be in a relationship with.”

“What kind of person do you want to be in a relationship with then? Hypothetically,” Robert inquired, slurping at the last of his milkshake. He felt a bit like a teenager, again, hanging out in a park to get away from their families.

“Someone confident,” Aaron said, decisive. “Someone who’s going to make me laugh - someone who’s going to make me want our dates to never end.”

Robert hummed his agreement. “Sounds nice.”

“I just - I’m at a place in my life where I’m ready for  _more_ , you know? I don’t just want to go and get shagged, you know? I want something real,” Aaron sighed, biting down on the side of his lip, clearly feeling as though he’d said too much.

“I get that, though,” Robert said. “There’s nothing quite like being in love, is there?”

Aaron shook his head. “No, there isn’t.”

They were quiet, for a few minutes, until Robert spoke again. “We should probably head back,” he said. “I’ve got a family tea I’m supposed to be back for, and Vic’ll have my head if I’m not here.”

“Do we have to go?” Aaron groaned. “I can’t take any more of my mum.”

Robert eased himself up out of the swing, offering his best friend, his fake boyfriend a smile. “I’ll take the long way home, don’t worry.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Agreeing to post-Christmas drinks with apparently everyone under the age of thirty in the village wasn’t exactly how Robert wanted to spend his evening (if only because he was genuinely concerned he’d probably put Ross Barton’s head through a wall if he so much as tried to say something snarky), but it was how Aaron wanted to spend his, surrounded by the friends they’d grown up with.

Including Holly.

Now, Robert liked Holly. Out of all the Barton family,  she was easily his favourite - she had a wicked sense of humour, and Robert liked that quality in people.

But she was getting on his last nerve tonight, too perceptive for her own good.

“You guys really aren’t into PDA, are you?” Holly said, gin and tonic held halfway to her mouth, a smirk plastered onto her face.

It was easy, to fake a relationship in front of your family. Your family didn’t really expect you to want to have a snog, every five minutes, but friends were a different story. Jokes about shagging, jokes about how tame they were, it was all free game.

She was going to get them caught out, she really was.

“What, you sayin’ we’re not together because I’m not sitting here, shoving my tongue down his throat?” Aaron said gruffly, sipping at his pint. “Bit weird, innit? You desperate to see us snog.”

“I’m just saying, I hardly expected Robert Sugden of all people to be tame,” Holly grinned. “You’ve really got that leash on tight, haven’t you?”

Robert felt Aaron bristle next to him, his anger practically tangible. “You’re just jealous you’re not getting any of this,” he joked, gesturing at himself, hoping it would ease the tension in the air.

Victoria seemed to get the message, guiding the conversation topic back to their New Year’s plans, Robert more grateful for his sister in that moment than he had been all of Christmas.

Holly seemed to be happy to drop the subject, Aaron too, until -

Well, until Aaron cornered him after he’d gone for a piss, Robert standing at the sink, washing his hands as his fake-boyfriend arrived, a determined look on his face. “You alright?” he asked. “Ross and Pete winning at darts again?”

  
“Do you still want that hickey?’

Robert raised an eyebrow at Aaron’s demanding tone. “You what?” he asked, deciding feigning confusion was his best bet, here. Of course he still wanted a hickey from Aaron, but he was hardly going to admit it without at least a little bit of push and pull.

“The hickey,” Aaron repeated, the determined look never leaving his face. “Do you still want it? Because I’m not having her, or anyone else thinking you and me aren’t good together.”

Robert couldn’t help but rise to the bait. “If you’ve got a point to prove, I suppose,” he said, cocking his head slightly, hoping the smirk he was directing at Aaron was as sultry as he was trying to make it, wanting to do his own bit of enticing.

Like he said, push and pull.

Before Robert could say anything else, Aaron had pounced, shoving Robert against the tiled wall of the bathroom, pressing his lips to his. He hadn’t expected a kiss, if he was honest, but Robert was willing to go with it, kissing Aaron back for all he was worth, indulging in the feeling of snogging for as long as Aaron let him.

Aaron’s mouth was red, and shiny as he pulled back, that determined look still in his eyes as he dropped his focus to Robert’s neck, grazing his teeth against the pale skin just above his collarbone.

A weak spot, if Robert was honest, practically trembling under the hands that were clinging tightly to his waist, Aaron gaining confidence, mouthing at his neck, biting harshly into his skin, soothing the sting with the flat press of his tongue, before he did it again, clearly determined to make the bruise last.

Robert remembered being fifteen, and sucking on the inside of his wrist once, to see what it would be like to give himself a hickey. It was nothing compared to this, compared to the feeling of Aaron’s mouth against his neck, breath hot and his focus unyielding.

He’d cum in his pants, if this went on long enough.

Robert really wasn’t sure how much time had passed when Aaron finally pulled away, wiping at his spit soaked lips. “Is it a good one?” he asked, surprised at how hoarse his own voice sounded.

Aaron grinned. “It’s a good one,” he confirmed, sounding far more unaffected than Robert felt, there and then. “I’ll get us another round in,” he said, jerking his thumb toward the exit.

Robert nodded numbly in response, feeling as though he was stuck to the wall, watching as Aaron left. Closing his eyes, Robert let the cool tile of the bathroom overwhelm him for a few seconds before he peeled himself away from the wall, looking at himself in the mirror.

One kiss and a hickey, and he looked positively undone, his cheeks flushed and his eyes wide, as he processed what had just happened. Robert leaned forward a little, poking at the blooming bruise on his neck.

Aaron had done a bang up job of it, really.

Robert straightened his shirt, the hickey mostly hidden by the blue of the shirt, only to be revealed later in the night when he made a show of undoing his top buttons, rolling up his sleeves and throwing an arm across the back of Aaron’s chair, smirking happily at a surprised looking Holly.

He was going to wear his brand new hickey with pride, thank you  _very_  much.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert was very drunk. He figured he probably had one more drink in him, because if he was really drunk, he would think he was entirely sober, but Aaron and Victoria had decided for them, calling a taxi to leave Hotten just as Robert was eyeing up the bar for a parting whiskey and lime.

He was drunk, and his hickey (or badge of honour, as Victoria had taken to jokingly calling it) on full display, blooming purple and yellow against his neck. It had barely been two days, since Aaron had pounced on him in the bathroom and giving his neck a seeing to, and Robert couldn’t get it out of his head.

He wanted him.

Robert wasn’t sure of much, not now, not after the hickey, but he was sure he wanted Aaron. He wanted more of the talented mouth of his, wanted  _more_  of the man who’d been his best (and only) friend for so long, wanted his fake boyfriend.

It as a lot of wanting, honestly, which was exactly why Robert hadn’t protested when Aaron had pulled him out of the taxi at the Woolpack, his hand warm in Robert’s, Victoria seeing them off with a tease and a ‘I’ll see you tomorrow for dinner then, Robert.’”

(Boundaries, that was a conversation he still needed to have with Victoria.)

“Anyone would think you like sharing a bed with me,” Robert teased, cornering Aaron against the wall, the brick cold under his hands as he placed his hands either side of Aaron’s head, the other man giving him a wide-eyed look.

Aaron bit his lip, in that unconscious, entirely teasing to Robert way he always did, smirking. “Maybe I do,” he said, voice low, the kind of low Robert hadn’t ever really heard from his friend before.

Was Aaron Dingle giving him his best bedroom voice?

Raising an eyebrow, Robert ducked his head, pressing his mouth to Aaron’s neck, biting down harshly enough to elicit an involuntary moan from Aaron, his friend tangling his fingers in the hair at the back of Robert’s neck.

“I think it’s time I got some payback, don’t you?” Robert said, sucking and biting at the dip of Aaron’s neck, the groove between his neck and shoulder exposed under Robert’s wandering hands.

“Payback?” Aaron asked, a little breathless.

“Payback,” Robert confirmed, bringing a hand around the back of Aaron’s head, drawing their mouths together, barely an inch apart. He paused, waiting for Aaron to say something, trying to gauge his reaction to Robert’s antics.

He didn’t pull away.

“Do you want this as much as I do?” Robert asked, needing to know, needing the clarification. He was so keyed up, he felt like he could explode, if he was being entirely honest, and all it was going to take was a yes from Aaron.

Aaron studied his face carefully, giving a slight nod. “I want this,” he breathed, sliding his arms around Robert’s neck, puling them impossibly closer. “I want this, I want you.”

Robert pressed his lips to Aaron almost instantly, kissing him for all he was worth, pouring every inch of the want he was feeling into their embrace, barely able to hold back a groan as he felt Aaron’s tongue nudge against his lips, deepening their embrace.

Kissing Aaron was better than breathing, there and then, Robert decided, chest heaving from the lack of oxygen as he pulled away, lightheaded - and not because of the alcohol.

No, the cold air, and Aaron’s hands in his hair had more than sobered him up.

“Upstairs,” Aaron demanded, voice low, and gruff. “Now, Robert, get upstairs now.”

Robert didn’t need to be told a third time, planting one last, lingering kiss on Aaron’s lips before he backed away from the wall, letting the younger man lead him inside the quite pub, Chas shut up for the evening.

Aaron toed off his boots, by the stairs, gesturing for Robert to do the same, before he cared to carefully make his way upstairs, avoiding the creakiest steps. Robert tried to follow Aaron’s route as best as he could, but Aaron was still ssh-ing him, when he finally made it to his bedroom.

A few nights ago, the first time Robert had stayed with him, felt like a lifetime ago now as he shut the door behind him, the tension between them palpable, as though Robert could reach out, and physically touch it.

He couldn’t, but he could touch Aaron, Robert making short work of his jacket, crossing the room to where Aaron was standing, biting on his lip again. “You know ha only makes me want you more,” he commented, thumbing Aaron’s lip out from between his teeth.

“Maybe that’s why I do it,” Aaron said cheekily, shrugging off his own jacket. “Are you going to do anything, then? Or does the great Robert Sugden not live up to the rumours?”

“I’m better than the rumours,” Robert promised, drawing Aaron in for another kiss. He let himself waste some time on kissing Aaron, indulging in the feeling of his lips against Robert’s own, the way he was such a responsive kisser, happy to wrap his arms around Robert’s waist, and follow his lead, a hair shorter than Robert himself, the difference feeing more significant now they were both shoeless.

Pulling back from their kiss, Robert turned his attention to the buttons of Aaron’s shirt, easily popping the first few free, Aaron’s broad chest coming into view. He’d seen Aaron in various states of undress, over the years, but this felt different, as though the body under his hands was entirely new.

It was, really. New for Robert to map, and explore, with his hands, his mouth.

He was going to enjoy every second of this.

“I’ve wanted you since you gave me that hickey,” Robert admitted, pressing wet, open mouthed kisses to Aaron’s collarbone, his ribcage, enjoying the way Aaron didn’t quite manage to keep back a laugh, a tiny giggle escaping his lips. “Ticklish, are we?”

Aaron shook his head. “No.”

“I think you are,” Robert said, letting his breath graze over Aaron’s bare stomach, the other man squirming, another soft laugh escaping his lips. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he murmured, almost to himself, working the last buttons of Aaron’s shirt free, pushing it off his shoulders.

“S’not fair you’re still all bundled up,” Aaron commented, pawing at Robert’s jumper and shirt clad torso.

Robert grinned. “I’m not stopping you.”

Aaron took that as his invitation, yanking at Robert’s jumper, tossing it carelessly to the floor. Before Robert could protest the mistreatment of his favourite jumper, Aaron was undoing the buttons of his shirt like a man possessed, the greedy look on Aaron’s face as Robert went from fully dressed, to half naked, doing wonders for Robert’s ego.

“Two days isn’t very long,” Aaron commented, running his hands over Robert’s hips.

God, he had nice hands.

“Long enough,” Robert said, the still slightly drunk part of his brain wanting to admit to more, wanting to admit it had been so much longer. He hadn’t even really admitted it to himself, yet, but here he was, ready to u his drunken mess of thoughts out there for Aaron to know, to figure out.

Aaron grinned at him, that light up a room kind of smile that had always made Robert’s heart twist in his chest. “Lets not was any longer, than.”

“No,” Robert agreed, pulling Aaron’s body flush against his own. “Let’s not.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert felt blissful, as he woke up, muscles sore and stretched in all the right ways. He couldn’t help but smile, as the memories of the previous night came flooding back, the ghost of Aaron’s lips still lingering against his own.

Touching the pads of his fingers to his mouth, Robert’s smile got wider.

That had been one of the best nights he’d had in a very long time, Robert decided, infinitely less embarrassed by his morning erection than he had been the last time they’d done this, Aaron’s naked arse against his dick a fairly good indication he might get lucky again.

“You’re insatiable,” Aaron murmured, head still buried in his pillow. “We’ve barely slept.”

“I’ve got a reputation for a reason,” Robert quipped. “We’re okay, right?”

Aaron shifted under the duvet, looking at Robert as if he’d grown an extra head “Why wouldn’t we be?” he asked, sleep soft and doe-eyed, a kind of dazed expression on his face that Robert could definitely get used to.

Get used to.

Like this was anything except a fake arrangement to get them both through the Christmas holidays without their family pestering them too much. Robert - well, he couldn’t get too invested, could he?

Not when Aaron wasn’t.

“I just mean… We’re still mates, yeah?” Robert said, gesturing between their naked bodies. “This isn’t going to ruin our friendship, or anything, is it?”

Aaron’s expression was unreadable for a second. “No, we’re good,” he said, offering Robert a bright smile. “You mind if I grab a shower first? We’re having lunch with Paddy and my mum at twelve.”

Robert shook his head. “As long as you don’t mind me having a wank here,” he said cheekily.

Aaron rolled his eyes. “Sex pest,” he mumbled, easing himself out of bed, wrapping a discarded towel around his hips, covering Robert’s momentarily blissful view of his arse.

Aaron had a nice back, Robert noted, watching as the broad expanse of Aaron’s shoulders and back, years of boxing training and five times weekly trips to the gym resulting in a body that genuinely looked like it had been shaped from granite.

Apparently, Robert really had a thing for muscles.

Lying back in Aaron’s bed, Robert couldn’t shake the warm happy feeling that had been settled in his stomach since he’d woken up.

It had been a good night.

A  _really_  good night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert was on the verge of absolutely dying of laughter. Lunch with Paddy and Chas had been bound to be a bit weird, given Paddy’s actual personality, but he hadn’t banked on his own handiwork being so distracting.

Okay, so, maybe he’d been a little careless, and maybe the hickey he’d given Aaron the night before was too high on his neck for a jumper to cover, and maybe Paddy and Chas were sharing matching horrified looks, and maybe (just maybe) this was the funniest thing that had happened to Robert in weeks.

“I don’t know what you’re laughing for, my mum now fully thinks we’ve been shagging constantly!” Aaron hissed, kicking at Robert’s ankle under the table, Paddy and Chas in the kitchen, making tea, clearly having a hushed and overdramatic conversation.

“But we’re in love, Aaron, of course we’re shagging constantly,” Robert grinned, making a kiss-y face at he younger man.

“You are so lucky we’re faking this,” Aaron rolled his eyes. “I’d kill ya, if you were actually my boyfriend.”

Robert tried to ignore the sad feeling that somehow felt like it was consuming his entire body, at Aaron’s words. Somewhere between the previous night, and now, he’d sort of forgotten they were faking it, that it wasn’t just some new, tentative step for them.

It was fake, it was all fake.

Except.

Except, well, Robert had let himself get invested, hadn’t he? The parts of him he’d ignored for so long, the parts that had so very clearly and obviously wanted Aaron for so long, had burrowed their way up and out of him, and now - now he wasn’t sure there was any taking back.

He was done for.

Robert tried to return the grin, and ignore the feeling of his heart literally shaking inside of his chest, hoping it wasn’t as obvious as it seemed to him when he replied. “It’s a good job we are faking it, then.”

Fake, fake, fake.

It was all fake.

Robert just - he just had to keep telling himself that, until his treacherous brain had packed all the feelings he had for Aaron right back up, back in their dusty old boxes where they belonged.

It was fake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Turns out, when you let all your internalised and repressed romantic feelings for your best mate, who you happen to be fake dating, out, there was no boxing them back up. Robert was being consumed by it, by how he felt, by how much he wanted it to be real.

He felt like a lovesick teenager, barely able to eat, or sleep, and Aaron was noticing. Robert, well - he wasn’t faking it like he had been, those first few days in Emmerdale, hadn’t been laying it on quite as thick.

(And maybe, maybe that was because Robert, in a way, wanted the jig to be up. wanted them to be found out so he wouldn’t have to spend so much time with Aaron, because maybe - maybe that was the cure he needed, for his out of the box feelings.)

Aaron clearly wasn’t on the same wavelength, having pulled Robert outside the pub, away from their friends, demanding to know why he’d had a personality transplant, over the last few days.

“I…..” Robert trailed off, knowing he didn’t have a decent excuse.

“This was your idea, you know!” Aaron exclaimed, shaking his head. “You suggested we fake a relationship, this was all your idea, and now you can’t even be bothered to make it even halfway believable? What is wrong with you, Robert?”

“I….” Robert trailed off again. It was now or never, he guessed. “The thing is, Aaron, all this pretending…. It hasn’t been easy.”

Aaron looked suitably confused. “I know,” he agreed. “But we’re only home for another three days, Robert, surely you can make it that long?”

“No, I mean - I mean, all this pretending, it’s made me realise something,” Robert said, hating how nervous he felt. This was Aaron, for crying out loud - Aaron, the first and only person he’d told about his dad. Aaron, the one person who knew his every thought, every secret, every part of him, good and bad alike.

He had never been able to hold anything back from Aaron, before.

“Realise what?” Aaron’s voice was gentle now, concern evident on his face. God, he was perfect, wasn’t he? Robert didn’t know anyone else who cared like Aaron did, his heart on his sleeve and bursting with love.

“That I don’t want it to be pretend, not anymore,” Robert said, shaking his head. “I know - I know this sounds mad, but I think I’ve wanted this, us for a long time now, and it’s Christmas, and you’re supposed to say these things at Christmas, right? Even if the other person doesn’t say it back.”

“Robert -“ Aaron tried to interrupt, his voice soft.

“I love you,” Robert blurted. “I love you, and it’s okay if you don’t feel the same, but I just needed you to know, because fake-dating you, these past few days - it’s made me realise how much I really, genuinely do want to date you. I’m not saying this because I think you’re going to fall at my feet, or whatever, but I just -“

“Robert, shut up.”

Robert stared at Aaron, wide-eyed. “I’m pouring my heart out here, you know!” he exclaimed, offended Aaron had decided to interrupted. Sincerity was not part of his usual arsenal, he was trying.

“I love you,” Aaron echoed, a grin quirking the corners of his mouth. “I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember. I drop hints about it, all the time - but you’ve never noticed, and I figured you never wanted to notice.”

“You’ve been dropping hints?” Robert couldn’t help his confusion.

“You asked me, who my ideal date was,” Aaron stepped a little closer. “And I described you. Someone who makes me laugh, someone I never want dates to end with.”

“That could have been anyone,” Robert mumbled, cheeks flushing red as all the pieces began to slot together, and he realised just how oblivious he had been to Aaron’s feelings all along, as well as his own.

“Tall, blond,” Aaron continued, grinning widely now. “Cocky as hell. Softer than he’d ever let anyone except me know.”

“Great in bed,” Robert offered, his heart racing in his chest now, as the realisation of what was happening started to really kick in. Aaron  _loved_  him, he’d loved him for a long time now - through all Robert’s worst bits.

“Mm, not as good as me,” Aaron teased. “But I’m willing to keep putting it to the test.”

“You really love me?” Robert couldn’t keep the awe from his voice, as he looked at Aaron. It was started to snow, funnily enough, tiny white flakes settling on the shoulders of Aaron’s jumper, in his hair.

A perfectly cliche moment, if there ever was one.

“I love you,” Aaron confirmed, cupping Robert’s face in his hands, pressing his lips to Robert’s in a soft, barely there kiss, but one so filled with emotion Robert didn’t quite know how to react. “I love you more than you know, Robert Sugden.”

If it was anything like the love he could feel blooming in his chest, taking over his entire body, making a home in amongst all his good, and bad, and ugly bits, Robert knew.

“They say Christmas has a funny way of bringing people together, you know,” Robert quipped, scrunching up his nose as the snow started to get heavier, cold and wet against his skin.

“Are you sayin’ Christmas magic brought us together?” Aaron snorted, slinging his arms around Robert’s neck, keeping him close. He didn’t seem bothered, by the cold - or he wasn’t letting on if he was, cheeks tinged pink with happiness as they stood out in the night air.

Robert grinned. “It is the most wonderful time of the year, after all.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

(And god, it really was.)

 

 

 

 

 

                    **fin**


End file.
